words

Posted on January 31, 2012 by dave

Words can be life giving, or life taking. Think about the words you’ve said that have translated to action, “with this ring…” Do you remember the first time you looked across an empty space to another person to sincerely say “I love you”? Words do mean something, because they become actions and actions tend to last forever. Do you remember your reaction to some words that you’ve heard, “we should have a baby!” “I’m sorry, but we have to let you go.” Do you remember the sheer emotion that is tied up in these words? The words you say and the words you live by translate to what we do.

The half-brother of Jesus, James says that the tongue is like a rudder of a large ship. What we stay actually steers our life in a certain direction. Jesus reminded his disciples that they would have to give an account on the Day of Judgment, “for every careless word they have spoken.” Then he goes on to say, “For by your words you will be acquitted and your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) I remember studying the book of Matthew with a friend and when we came across that passage we just sat and stared at each other. We both like to make people laugh and have therefore said many careless words.

I think this is why it is so important that we worship publicly and proclaim what we believe. It struck me when I was reading the gospels that Jesus would say, “go back and tell people what God did for you.” They are just words, but they are words that guide and lead others into love. They are just words that we sing but they remind me of God’s great love for me. Words manifest into emotion and action. This year as I have begun a journey to read through the entire Bible, again, I have noticed how prevalent this theme of words is. It is amazing to me that God cares deeply about what we say to people and how we say it. God’s words actually became flesh in the person of Jesus. If your words became flesh, what would they look like?

Tweet This Post

burning the fuzz off your thinking

Posted on January 30, 2012 by dave

It has been a while since I have posted anything on my blog. I didn’t quit blogging or writing, I just took a breather. You know when you do something so much that it becomes a chore? That is what writing became like for me for a little while. It’s like when God gave the hungry Israelites manna and they worshiped God because He fed them, then after a while they bitterly complained because they were sick of manna. Then God gave them quail, and guess what, they got sick of that too. Sometimes you need to take a big deep breath and step back from things just so you don’t ruin it. That is what I did with this blog. I really believe in the idea of reclaiming the beauty of a life with God. I love calling people to restoration in Christ. However, I didn’t want to publish junk and ruin the blog. Therefore I did what was I though logical and just decided to not to post anything for a while. As it turns out, I feel refreshed and ready to engage in writing again.

Fred Smith once wrote, “I learned to write to burn the fuzz off my thinking.” As it turns out, when I stopped writing for this period a lot of fuzz built up in my thinking. It is hard for me to articulate clearly what I am thinking without writing it down first. So in the coming weeks, days, months you can expect to see some more content gracing this page.

Tweet This Post

big life changes…coming right up

Posted on November 13, 2011 by dave

On September 15^th at 12:45am my friend and mentor Pastor Gordon Coulter went to be with the Lord. He said that God had been so good to him to give him 15 more years of life after his initial battle with cancer. I am glad that I fit in to one of those 15 years. Many of you did too.

Since the passing of Pastor Gordon our Local Board of Administration at the church has turned into a search committee. Their function has been to discern God’s will for our church and to interview, check references and most of all pray. On Monday the 7^th the LBA offered me the position. I am continually blown away by what God is doing.

On the 20^th of November our church will hold a vote. If the church confirms the recommendation of the LBA then I have agreed to start full-time on January 1, 2012. Thank you all for your continued support and prayer during this time. It has meant a lot to my family and I.

Neighborhood Christian Fellowship is so much more than just me. Over the years here I have seen people get called to ministry. I have seen people make first time decisions to submit their lives to Jesus and I have been fortunate enough to marry, baptize and even bury some wonderful friends. Neighborhood is a place that makes the gospel come alive in the way its members live their lives. It is a little community that continues to be a beacon of light to a larger world.

I am so excited to begin this journey and I hope you will walk this road with me. Thank you for your prayers and please, don’t stop.

Tweet This Post

controlled power

Posted on October 25, 2011 by dave

I meet with a group of pastors and leaders who are really intentional about developing one another. We meet one time a month, read books, pray debate and discuss. It is so helpful to have some high caliber leaders speaking into my life. I am eternally grateful to these men who spend the time to do this with one another.

A few weeks ago I had a major insight into great leadership traits. We were talking about gentleness in leadership. At first gentleness sounds a little weak and conjures up images of some dude getting walked all over in the office, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Gentleness is really about self-control. It is about using the power that you have in a controlled way. Many leaders could tear someone to shreds with just a few words. But sometimes restraining your power can have an even greater affect.

I was thinking back to a time when my Pastor (who passed away in September) asked me to have lunch with him one day. This was a while ago so the details are a little fuzzy, but essentially I had screwed up. Instead of letting me knowing it and laying into me he restrained the power he had, guiding me through a series of questions that helped me realize I had screwed up.

I appreciated this for a few reasons. First, It kept our relationship strong and in tact. Instead of being disciplined and running away with my tail between my legs, we engaged in a thoughtful dialogue on whatever it was I messed up on. Second, it gave me a model on how to handle conflict and staff issues. But the main thing I noticed is that the entire encounter was gentle. There was a sense that power was controlled for the greater good.

I got to thinking about the encounters that Jesus had with his disciples and even the religious elite of the day. He modeled gentleness in his humility but also in his encounters with others. God with flesh on could have quite a bit of power, but even from the moment of temptation in the dessert he withheld his power. Which brings me to this point; the greatest power you can possess is the ability to not exercise it. Maybe power is found in restraint and self control rather than blatant exercises of power.

Tweet This Post

avoiding an arab spring

Posted on October 6, 2011 by dave

There is a really good reason why the “Arab Spring” happened. It has less to do with politics and more to do with leadership. Actually, It has everything to do with us as well. The “Arab Spring” was a backlash against authoritarian leadership. For years Mubarak and Gaddafi have been leading their people from their positions of power rather than their persuasion abilities. One of the hardest and most rewarding leadership challenges is leading people when they have the freedom not to follow. This kind of leadership happens everywhere from governments to churches to organizations and local communities.

The problem with the leaders in the Arab world is that they have been ruling rather than leading, they have been using their positions to dictate that their will be done. In governments legitimacy is king. You cannot hold your position for long without the people perceiving you as the actual leader. Some leaders of nations have taken their positions by force, but their countrymen and women do not perceive them as the actual leader, thus the revolution spawns. If you have to hold onto your position by force, chances are, you are not the legitimate leader.

This is a huge leadership issue. Who is legitimate? Who leads with persuasion rather than position? This leadership principle transcends time and the leadership of just nations. The issue of legitimacy is relevant in communities, work places and even homes. Do you lead out of your title or do you lead out of your ability to inspire and walk with people? Do people follow you because if they don’t there might be consequences, or do they follow you because of a level of trust that has been built up over time? You can avoid an “Arab Spring” by leading out of your core values and integrity.

Tweet This Post